SPF

Winter is coming… and no, this isn’t some shameless plug for the new season of Game of Thrones, winter is seriously just around the corner. Cold weather tends to encourage the production of dry, itchy, dull skin, just to name a few complaints. Although the cool breeze is a tad bit more refreshing than the blistering heat of summer, don’t let that icy chill fool you – having a skincare routine intact throughout the year is essential to keeping your complexion in tip-top shape. Take a look at some of our favorite winter skincare tips that will keep your skin happy and glowing all winter long.

Cleanse Gently.
A lot of cleansers use ingredients to make your skin feel squeaky clean, however, these detergents can strip your skin. If your skin feels tight after you cleanse, then your cleanser is doing more harm than good. Look for cleansers that are sulfate-free and packed with vitamin E and probiotics so you can cleanse, treat and hydrate all at the same time.

Exfoliate Mildly.
A little cell-shedding from time-to-time can help your skin look fresh and feel amazing – just be sure to not over-do it. Exfoliating too harshly can cause skin to be overly sensitive, parched, itchy and prone to breakouts, especially during the cold, dry winter months. Opt for a product that has gentle exfoliating agents, such as lactic acid, probiotics and potassium azeloyl diglycinate to help unleash your glow without any irritation.

Replenish the top layers of your skin with face oils.
Face oils are your skin’s best friend during the frigid winter months. Skin oils help replenish the top layers of aging skin so that it can retain moisture and combat assaults from wind and cold (ie: wind burn – ouch!). Even better, face oils penetrate past the epidermal barrier to deliver nutrients to deeper layers of the skin. Going with a face oil rich in shea milk and abyssinian seed oil is your best bet for hydrated, luminous skin.

Treat with Hyaluronic AcidDuring cold winter months, using a product with Hyaluronic Acid is essential if you want to keep skin supple without triggering inflammation. Chilly weather encourages chapped skin, itchiness and dryness. Hyaluronic Acid is a biopolymer that occurs naturally in the human body, and unfortunately, as we age, our bodies have a hard time producing more of this wrinkle- and irritation-fighter. It has the ability to hold 1,000 times its weight in water, making it one of the most hydrating compounds in the world – talk about a moisture surge! To get the most out of HA, remember to “heal it and seal it.” After cleansing, apply a hyaluronic acid treatment to the skin, and then apply a moisturizer to lock in all those benefits.

Wear SPF.
Here is a rule that we should always abide: Wear sunscreen every day, from dawn to dusk, rain or shine, in hot or cold weather. Just because the sun pretends to hibernate during the winter, doesn’t mean it can’t cause harm to your complexion. While UVB rays are weaker during colder months, UVA rays have the same ability to cover every spot of the earth during winter as they do during warmer months. Always choose a broad-spectrum sunscreen that lists zinc oxide as one of main active ingredients to protect you from both UVA and UVB rays. We like using a tinted sunscreen that helps camouflage flaws while protecting our skin from the harmful side effects of the sun.

Denise Prichard has been an avid beauty, health and nutrition writer for over five years - specializing in wellness, skincare, yoga & meditation, and clean eating recipes. She graduated with a degree in English from Arizona State University in 2010 and currently runs her own blog, Fueled by Vegetables, a project that stems from her passion of living a healthy, joyful life and encouraging others to do the same. She believes that beauty comes from within and can be achieved through a health-driven lifestyle. Denise practices what she preaches as she is a certified yoga instructor and enjoys sharing her love of yoga with others, blogging about beauty & skincare tips (she is the skincare model for her company’s brand videos), inventing yummy and nutritious recipes and, of course, hanging out with her rescue dogs, Eleanor & Stevie.